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CITEL organized a Workshop on the Technical and
Regulatory Aspects Related to the Effects of Electromagnetic Non-Ionizing
Emissions in Lima on June 19, 2006 to analyze the potential effects of
non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation.
The growing establishment of wireless systems has
led to increased public concern. Rigorous scientific studies must be
considered, therefore, to avert any uncertainty and to allow
sustainable decision-making to protect public health and maintain
clear communication between citizens, providers, and authorities.
Because of this, close to 400 persons attended the
workshop; regulators from the region, experts in the matter, mayors,
and municipal officials paid close attention to the discussions held
in the National Telecommunication Research and Training Institute
(Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Capacitación en
Telecomunicaciones—INICTEL) in Lima, Peru.
The countries, through their regulatory agencies,
establish their own standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Most are based on the recommendations of the International Commission
on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which is formally
recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Because in the Americas many countries are in the
process of drawing up their respective standards, CITEL’s Permanent
Consultative Committee II, through the Rapporteur Group on Technical
and Regulatory Aspects Related to the Effects of Electromagnetic Non-Ionizing
Emissions, organized the above-mentioned workshop.
The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of
Peru, Mr. Juan Pacheco-Romaní, at the opening ceremony and, among the
main speakers, there were prominent experts in the field, such as
Emilie Van Deventer, of the World Health Organization; Paolo Vecchia,
Chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation
Protection (ICNIRP); Ronald C. Petersen of the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); Dr. C-K. Chou of the IEEE; and
Víctor Cruz, Counselor of the International Project on Electromagnetic
Fields of the National Telecommunications Research and Training
Institute (INICTEL) of Peru.
To clarify the perspectives of the governmental
organizations, the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities,
and Associations and the Communications Secretariat of the Ministry of
Transportation and Communications of Peru, Industry Canada, and the
National Communications Commission of Argentina participated in the
workshop. The private sector contributed its perspectives through the
Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), the Wi Fi Alliance, the operators of
Nextel Peru, Telefónica Móviles and AméricaMovil, all from Peru, and
the consulting firms CPqD of Brazil and CFC of Argentina.
The Rapporteur Group on Technical and Regulatory
Aspects presented the result of its work on NIR and distributed a CD
on its work to the audience.
Finally, the plenary session of PCC.II that was
held afterwards adopted a resolution
indicating the willingness of the Rapporteur Group on NRI to help
administrations that might require CITEL advisory services in the
phase of developing their regulatory frameworks.
CITEL hopes thereby to provide regulatory officials
with the necessary tools to develop rules and standards on exposure to
EMF, and to provide the general public with information to facilitate
communication and understanding of new technologies that affect our
quality of life. The objectives are to assess clearly the potential
health effects, so as to be able to establish networks without harming
health, improve our quality of life, and responsibly protect the
environment.
The Workshop was transmitted by videoconference to
various localities of Peru’s interior, and it was possible to attend
it through the website of the Ministry of Transportation and
Communications,, where its development can be observed until the end
of June.
In short, the Workshop was one further step taken
by CITEL to fulfill the mandates of the Summits of the Americas, the
Agenda for Connectivity, the Plan of Action of Quito, the World Summit
on the Information Society and the recent OAS Declaration of Santo
Domingo which calls for increasing connectivity and bridging the
digital divide.
Héctor Mario Carril
Rapporteur
Workshop Coordinator
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